The present invention relates to locking devices preventing the unauthorized use of firearms. More particularly, the invention provides a block, shaped partly as a normal magazine or a magazine or other shaped member which can be inserted into a firearm to block the magazine housing thereof or the barrel and which can be removed therefrom only by transmitting relevant biometric data to said block, said data corresponding with biometric data digitally stored in the block memory.
Little need be said about the desirability of preventing the use of handguns and rifles by children and by persons unauthorized to use the weapon. Handguns and rifles are often stolen by criminals, while mentally-unstable persons, and children, also find weapons of interest. Many lives could be saved if only the user or other authorized person were able to load and fire such weapons.
In the prior art it is seen that this can be achieved by locking the firearm to a fixed rack, or by fitting a lock to the trigger (U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,179 and WO026848), or by locking the safety switch (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,946,840 and 5,461,812), or by blocking the firing mechanism (U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,538 B1, US Patent 2002,0174585A1 and 2004/0035286A1), or by blocking the ejector and loading port (US Patent no. 2004/0035042) or by blocking the barrel of the firearm (Swedish patent no. SE505705, and UK patent applications GB2316473A and GB2375588A).
The present invention refers primarily to a class of device blocking the magazine housing to prevent loading of the weapon by unauthorized persons or similar devices. It will however be realized that all such systems also require means for preventing the loading of a single cartridge through an aperture provided for this purpose at the top or side of the firearm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,729 Von Muller discloses a key-operated safety magazine which is locked to the magazine housing. In some or all embodiments it is necessary to drill a hole in the pistol or rifle before inserting the safety magazine. Aside from the inconvenience of doing so by means of a special drilling jig seen in FIG. 6, the hole will cancel the manufacturers guarantee for the firearm.